Chris Jones (92), playing in the Alabama-Mississippi All Star Classic football game on Dec. 15, chose Mississippi State over Mississippi. / Lloyd Gallman AP

by John Talty, USA TODAY Sports

by John Talty, USA TODAY Sports

Despite every major Southeastern Conference football power putting the full-court press on him, Chris Jones opted for loyalty.

The 6-6, 260-pound defensive end from Houston High School announced he is signing with Mississippi State today after flirting with some late interest from rival Mississippi.

Jones visited Mississippi three times in a two-week span, including two secret visits last weekend that turned the whole state upside down. But after some thinking, Jones opted to stick with the school he had been verbally committed to since June.

Keeping Jones, who is the highest-rated player to sign with MSU this year, in the fold was huge for the Bulldogs.

"He is the marquee guy and would be for most classes," said Chad Simmons, the southeast recruiting manager for Scout.com. "(He's) the No. 20 player in the country, top player in the state, guy (MSU has) had in control for 7-8 months.

"He is vital for this class. It is a good class. Not a great class, but it is a good class. If they (lost) Jones, this class (would) really take a big step backwards."

Mississippi State was the first school to offer Jones a scholarship after getting a chance to see him in the summer. At the time he was a two-star prospect, and was considered by many to be a major project. But then slowly but surely Jones started moving up the recruiting rankings.

He dominated during his senior season with 160 tackles, including 46 for a loss. He then showed he was more than capable of competing against the nation's best at the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Classic in December and the Under Armour All-American Game in early January. After those two games he became a five-star prospect â?? 247Sports ranks him as the No. 2 player in the country â?? and saw the offers from Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Tennessee, among others, begin to pour in.

The reason so many jumped in on Jones was because of his potential and hardworking ways.

"His motor is what sets him apart," said Gerry Hamilton, the lead national recruiting analyst for 247Sports. "There are a lot of big guys that look really good, but not everyone plays with the incredible motor he has. Plus, he's still a pup. He's beating really good players on pure athletic ability in these All-Star Games."

Jones appreciated the late interest, and gave a few of the schools a look, but kept coming back to MSU.

"The reason I chose Mississippi State was because a year and a half ago when my coach was trying to get people to see me, they were the only ones to reach out to me," Jones told the Clarion-Ledger in a previous interview. "No one ever came to show up but (MSU) and Southern Miss."